Capital Unitarian Universalist Congregation

Plant-based diets are often perceived as being antithetical to Indigenous interests in what is today colonially known as Canada. This perceived antithesis hinges on veganism’s rejection of the consumption of animals. This apparent antithesis, however, is a misperception that a reframing of ethical veganism can help correct. Dr. Deckha argues that veganism’s objection to dairy should be underscored as a central concern of ethical veganism. Such emphasis not only brings into view the substantial alignment between plant-based diets and Indigenous worldviews, but also highlights the related goals of decolonization and reconciliation in Canada.

Professor Deckha (BA McGill; LLB Toronto; LLM Columbia) joined the UVic Faculty of Law in 2002 after practising at the Ministry of the Attorney General in Toronto. She is currently Professor and Lansdowne Chair in Law at UVic where she also directs the Animals & Society Research Initiative.  Prof. Deckha’s research interests include animal legal studies and critical animal studies, feminist animal care theory and feminist analysis of law, socio-legal studies in general, and reproductive and end-of-life ethics. Her current project examines the lack of government regulation in favour of farmed animals as a rule of law violation and thus a matter of constitutional import.

May 1st is May Day, Beltane and the mid-point of this season of renewal. It’s also the 100th anniversary of the Flower Ceremony a UU tradition going back a century. Come join us to celebrate the joy of spring. 

Two uncommon events are occurring this weekend: the coronation of King Charles III … and the ordination of our first ever Canadian Armed Forces UU chaplain – Nicole McKay. Both of these roles – plus the shifting cultures of the more common structures in our lives – raise questions around the concept of duty. Join us for a reflection on the evolving understanding of duty.

In the United Kingdom, Ireland and some Commonwealth countries, Mothering Sunday is the fourth Sunday in Lent. Celebrated since the Middle Ages, it was traditionally a time Christians visited their Mother church, the one in which they had received the sacrament of baptism. The modern American version of the holiday began in 1907, when Anna Jarvis organized the first service of worship and celebration at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in West Virginia. In 1912, she trademarked the phrase “Second Sunday in May, Mother’s Day,” noting that “Mother’s” should “be a singular possessive, for each family to honor its own mother, not a plural possessive commemorating all mothers in the world.” Not everyone has been a mother, but all of us have had a mother.  Sometimes the experience can be less than positive.  Several in our congregation will share their reflections on having or being a mother, or undertaking the role of a Mother figure. The forum after the service will be an opportunity for others to share their stories and experiences, good or bad.

We will gather from across the nation to celebrate what has brought us to this moment in making manifest our new principle: promoting “individual and communal action that accountably dismantles racism and systemic barriers to full inclusion in ourselves and our institutions.“ This is a promise worthy of this time and the fullness of our creative energies.  The Sunday morning worship service will be led by Rev. Eric Meter of the First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa alongside Rev. Diane Rollert of the Unitarian Church of Montreal, Rev. Fulgence Ndagijimana, youth and young adults, and others.  Raised Unitarian Universalist, Rev. Eric has served our congregations in Northern California, upstate New York, and in the U.S. Great Lakes region.  Proud to now be in Canada, he and his wife have family in the Greater Toronto Area, as well as in Germany and the United States.  The Sunday Multigenerational Worship Service will be livestreamed on the CUC’s YouTube Channel

What is the spirit?  What are gifts?  And what do they mean for a Unitarian community? Touching on our place in the universe, the power and craziness of love, and the letters of Saint Paul to the Corinthians,  Joy will examine how we can find our superpowers to benefit ourselves and others.

In this time of massive global shift, what is the role of LOVE? Catalyst for transformation? Invitation to gather? Challenge to speak truth to power? Reminder of our fragility and potential? Healer? Helper? Comfort? Tease? This Sunday, we’re going to talk about (…and maybe to…) LOVE.

Last fall I began reading Sara Sagen’s book “For Small Creatures Such as We: Rituals for Finding Meaning in Our Unlikely World.” I am a nonreligious and spiritually inept person; I never have been able to define spirituality for myself. Yet I lament the lack of ritual in my life. Until I read Sagen’s book, which talks of a science-based philosophy of life, religious and cultural rituals, and how she develops meaningful rituals. Then, I noticed ritualistic habits and practices I already have and when/how I form new ones. I came to better understand how these help me navigate my world. Join me as I look at rituals that once impressed me, why I/we reject them and how new meaningful ones can take their place.

I have spent the second third of my life as a Unitarian humanist.  This week I entered the “third third” of my life.  How closely have I clung to the principles & sources of UUism?  What should I change for the next 30 years?  How can we help each other to live principled lives?